Palladium Books in dire straights

Grasscutter · Post by **Grasscutter** » 2006-04-26 09:19pm

Kevin Siembieda, president and owner of longtime RPG publisher Palladium Books, has gone public with what he calls "A Crisis of Treachery" on the Palladium Website. According to the post, the company has been damaged to the extent of $850,000 to $1.3 million in a "betrayal of trust, theft, and embezzlement."

On the business side, because of the failure of Nokia's N-Gage phone game platform, the royalty stream for the Rifts game (see "Palladium Licenses Rifts for Phone Game") did not materialize. The Rifts movie (see "Rifts Movie Has a Screenwriter") has been slow to get going. And cash flow problems have slowed RPG releases (see "Palladium Releases Delayed").

Siembieda says he has exhausted his personal resources in an effort to save the company. "I have borrowed tens of thousands in loans and sunk every dime I have into Palladium Books," he said. "I'm selling everything I own to keep Palladium going. That's the real reason I'm selling my 25 year old toy collection, art and other items at the Palladium Open House."

In the post, Siembieda issued an appeal for help to the Palladium fan base, which he is requesting buy a limited edition print and renew support for its products as a way of support. Having made this last ditch appeal, he seems willing to accept the results. "If Palladium Books should come to an end, I have no regrets," he said. "I'll know I did everything possible to keep going and do right by everyone."

From here. Palladium is trying to raise funds by selling limited edition prints. I'm thinking of getting one when I have some spare cash. The early Robotech and Rifts books are what got me interested in RPGs when I was growing up.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2006-04-26 09:59pm

Grasscutter wrote:From here. Palladium is trying to raise funds by selling limited edition prints. I'm thinking of getting one when I have some spare cash. The early Robotech and Rifts books are what got me interested in RPGs when I was growing up.

Indeed a sad day. Say what you will about the combat system and the silliness of MDC and the like, but I got hooked with Palladium into RPGs as well. TMNT, Palladium (Just Palladium...remember the Wolfen? Great Race!). In fact, I would go so far as to say that Palladium had no small part in making me the nerd I am today. I do hope they pull out of this...Rifts would be such an awesome movie.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-04-26 10:20pm

I will dance over the rubble. I fucking hate Palladium, and their stupid system and their awful failures to gel different systems, and their terrible licensed games. Nightspawn? WHAT BEAR TABLE? If he wanted money, he should have hired editors that didn't introduce new spelling errors without fixing the ones from the last edition.

I will miss the likes of Wujik and Siembiada, though. Their sourcebooks were cheap, poorly edited, incredibly amusing stuff back in highschool. 'I use XP-level systems because I find them realistic and accurate'... I'll never get over that. Ten years later, it still makes me laugh wondering if Wujik beat up hobos to make himself a better driver.

Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba · Post by **Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba** » 2006-04-26 11:48pm

Stark wrote:I will dance over the rubble. I fucking hate Palladium, and their stupid system and their awful failures to gel different systems, and their terrible licensed games. Nightspawn? WHAT BEAR TABLE? If he wanted money, he should have hired editors that didn't introduce new spelling errors without fixing the ones from the last edition.

I will miss the likes of Wujik and Siembiada, though. Their sourcebooks were cheap, poorly edited, incredibly amusing stuff back in highschool. 'I use XP-level systems because I find them realistic and accurate'... I'll never get over that. Ten years later, it still makes me laugh wondering if Wujik beat up hobos to make himself a better driver.

You, sir, have made my day.

And let Palladium fall. It's junk.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-04-27 12:02am

good riddence

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2006-04-27 12:05am

You know, I have no problem if a game company falls because it made a bad product. That's fine. However, to go under because of an illegal action? That's a damn shame. I don't like Palladium's sytem or business model, but I'm not going to dance on their graves for being victims to horrible crimes.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-04-27 12:38am

The article doesn't mention what happened for Palladium to lose so much money. Do you know? They mention embezzlement, but then describe all the commercial failures that have led Palladium to this juncture. Mismanagement or white collar crime?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2006-04-27 12:48am

It's supposedly a combination of both. The open letter describing the situation goes into some more detail, but the bottom line is that they got hosed by somebody embezzling funds, costing the company over a million dollars. Might not seem like much, but that's pretty big money for a smaller gaming company like Palladium.

That, combined with several failed ventures, led them to this point. It's a pretty shitty situation, to be honest, and I don't envy them.

Now, granted, they could be making all this up, but I'm pretty sure that if they went accusing a former employee of a serious crime, there would be reprisals.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2006-04-27 01:15am

I never cared for their product, but to be crippled by crimminal activity is a tragic way for the company to go down.

GuppyShark · Post by **GuppyShark** » 2006-04-27 03:17am

The art alone made Palladium books worth the purchase, IMO.

Post by **weemadando** » 2006-04-27 04:14am

Good riddance to fucking bad rubbish.

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2006-04-27 11:05am

Hotfoot wrote:Might not seem like much, but that's pretty big money for a smaller gaming company like Palladium.

The sad thing is, I remember at one point they were around the #3 or #4 company in size for RPGs. I think the Big Five at the time were TSR (now bought out by WOTC), White Wolf, FASA (now defunct), Steve Jackson Games, and Palladium.

I still like a fair portion of the fluff to ther books, particularly the fantasy setting, even if I dislike the power creep of Rifts, the overall mechanics (they need a third edition worse than D&D did), and the occasional

moment, such as the whole Siege on Tolkeen making the creator-avowed Nazi-ish faction the good guys.

Hell, I still think their two best writers are the ones that left - Carella and Coffin. I like Wujcik, and they still have the best artist they've ever had in Ramon Perez, but AFAIK they still have my least favorite artist (I believe it's Kent Burles based on the signatures on the art).

Grasscutter · Post by **Grasscutter** » 2006-04-27 11:05am

Stark wrote:'I use XP-level systems because I find them realistic and accurate'... I'll never get over that. Ten years later, it still makes me laugh wondering if Wujik beat up hobos to make himself a better driver.

That's hillarious

. I'll admit the game system is crap, but I have very fond memories of Palladium's art and fluff. Newton Ewell's work in the Macross II RPG and Rifts: Atlantis sourcebook in particular. I wonder how Hindus feel about his depiction of Shiva in the Deities of the Megaverse sourcebook though...

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2006-04-27 06:53pm

Considering I heard a rumour in 2001 that the owner of Palladium bashed the D20 System and the concept of the Open Gaming Liscence (I stress it was a RUMOUR), I am not surprised.

If Palladium wants to stay afloat right now, they'd be smart to release a D20 to Palladium/Palladium to D20 book as a way of generating cross-market sales and boasting revenue.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2006-04-27 08:18pm

I don't follow. The owner may or may not have bashed d20 5 years ago, therefore it's no surprise that the company is in financial trouble?

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2006-04-27 08:24pm

While it is sad that it dying under the weight of criminal negligence, there's not many professionals shedding any tears over this. He's screwed and cheated more then a few people on his way up the hill.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2006-04-27 08:34pm

Maybe in order to sell a few new books he'll introduce Tera Damage. (I heard they introduced 'Giga Damage' and that's just fucked up)

consequences · Post by **consequences** » 2006-04-27 08:42pm

Uraniun235 wrote:Maybe in order to sell a few new books he'll introduce Tera Damage. (I heard they introduced 'Giga Damage' and that's just fucked up)

That was an April Fool's joke.

The sad thing, is that properly implemented, some kind of step up from mega-damage would make the system at least ten percent less stupid. As it is, ten thousand first level assholes with laser pistols can blow up a Dreadnought in 15 seconds or less. The firepower/resistance disparity between a modern pistol being fired at a Rifts main battle tank is around the same level as that silliness.

As for the topic itself, I'd be able to muster far more care if he had showed any kind of professionalism and competence in his number crunching for the game. Maybe its just me, but when I see someone who can't be bothered to make his math make sense in one venue, it doesn't inspire confidence in their ability to check on the accounting properly.

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2006-04-27 10:31pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I don't follow. The owner may or may not have bashed d20 5 years ago, therefore it's no surprise that the company is in financial trouble?

It's not the bashing, but the failure to recognize the possiblity of cross-market sales.

Consider what the D20 System did for the L5R System/Rokugan setting.

Also, they were worse with going after websites back in the day (and still might be) then TSR was before TSR went belly up

GuppyShark · Post by **GuppyShark** » 2006-04-27 11:01pm

Solauren wrote:It's not the bashing, but the failure to recognize the possiblity of cross-market sales.

Consider what the D20 System did for the L5R System/Rokugan setting.

Equipped Clan Champions with ancestral ashigaru armour +4 and thundering burst katana +5.

L5R was going stronger before they introduced D20, especially the CCG.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-04-27 11:06pm

My only encounter with D20 has been D20 versions of older games that universally suck. I don't see how changing the system would help more than just spending a few hours cleaning it up. If a bunch of highschool kids can fix your system over a week, how hard can it be?

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2006-04-28 12:14am

frigid magi pointed me in the way of more info on the topic:

http://forums.palladium-megaverse.com/v ... hp?t=57557

Post by **Edi** » 2006-04-28 04:11am

I just can't get worked up over this. I've got quite a few older Palladium games, but the only one I ever really truly liked was Nightspawn/Nightbane for its concept, if not all of its implementation. Never did like Rifts.

As for Siembieda himself, couldn't care less. He's been an openly litigious bastard intent on quashing anything fanmade that threatened to be publicized and gain popularity. I don't like that kind of shit.

With regard to D20 systems in general, I like Arcanum from Bard Games, but not any of the others. I positively loathe D&D, though I'm not familiar with anything past 2nd Edition AD&D. I do like the really original D&D for nostalgic reasons, just wish I could get my hands on the complete hardbound of the boxed sets adn all of the Known World volumes.

Edi

Jade Falcon · Post by **Jade Falcon** » 2006-05-02 11:58am

In one way its sad to see another old time games company go tits up, but at the same time I never really cared much for the Palladium system.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2006-05-02 03:34pm

I last played it in highschool/first year of college.....

god that sucked.

I also think I enjoyed TMNT more then any of their other licences....

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Palladium Books in dire straights

Palladium Books in dire straights

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